Chapter 12 - The Bookkeeper Who Refused to Lie
The police collected the note. The building manager preserved hallway footage. Dana told me not to guess who had delivered it; investigators would follow what could be proved.
I wanted to scream that I was tired of waiting for proof. Instead I went to my prenatal appointment, listened to June's heartbeat, and did the breathing exercises the nurse taught me.
Then Agent Shah called.
"A woman named Beth Molina wants to talk to you. She used to keep the books at Second Watch."
Beth met us at a federal office, where I could sit with Tessa and leave whenever I needed. She was in her forties, with tired eyes and a paper bag full of notebooks.
"I quit after Margaret told me to delete the canceled grants," Beth said. "Ethan called me disloyal. Jason said nobody would hire me again."
"Why come forward now?" I asked.
"I saw what happened on the stage." She looked at my splint. "I kept telling myself they weren't hurting people, just moving money. I can't tell myself that anymore."
Beth had saved bank reconciliation sheets and internal meeting notes. They showed Ethan ordering staff to close veterans' files before work was done. Margaret had approved the false reports. Jason's company collected the payments.
Beth began to cry while she described a donor who'd mailed a check after her husband died from combat injuries. The woman thought she was helping another wounded soldier live at home.
"I cashed that check," Beth whispered. "I still know the name."
I put my good hand over hers. "You can tell the truth now."
Shah asked us to wait outside while she reviewed one particular entry. When she returned, her face was solemn.
"Claire, there's a fund in these records called the June Parker Memorial Adaptation Grant."
My throat closed. June was the medic who'd died saving us overseas.
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"What about it?"
"Every dollar donated in her name was diverted."
